IRON CHEF CANADA... We have the Best Chefs.

I don't post a lot of Media Releases but this one is worth sharing if you have been following some of Canada's Top Chefs.  I am really excited to see this since I have met a few of the participating chefs.

Can't wait to see who Reigns Supreme!

THE SECRET IS OUT:
FOOD NETWORK CANADA REVEALS THE CHALLENGERS PREPARING TO BATTLE ON IRON CHEF CANADA

Ten Accomplished Chefs from Across the Country Face Off Against Canada’s Iron Chefs

Find Out Whose Cuisine Reigns Supreme

October 17 at 10 p.m. ET/PT

Food Network Canada is on a National Free Preview for the Month of October

For additional media material please visit the Corus Media Centre

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For Immediate Release 

TORONTO, September 26, 2018 – The stadium is stocked, the secret ingredients are selected and the battles are set - but whose cuisine will reign supreme? Each week, Iron Chef Canada sees one notable chef, spanning from Vancouver, B.C. to Montreal, Que., competing in a head-to-head competition for culinary supremacy. The worthy challengers battle against the renowned Canadian Iron Chefs, Hugh Acheson, Amanda Cohen, Lynn Crawford, Rob Feenie, and Susur Lee in ambitious culinary show-downs featuring a secret ingredient that must be incorporated in each of their five dishes. Canadian television personality and recognized culinary expert Gail Simmons hosts alongside respected food critic Chris Nuttall-Smith as floor reporter. The highly-anticipated inaugural season of Iron Chef Canada premieres October 17 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network Canada.

The ten Iron Chef Canada competitors entering the Monogram Kitchen Stadium are:

·         Jason Bangerter, Cambridge, Ont.- Executive Chef, Langdon Hall Country House Hotel and Spa

·         Ned Bell, Vancouver, B.C. - Executive Chef, Ocean Wise program at the Vancouver Aquarium

·         Alex Chen, Vancouver, B.C. - Executive Chef, Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar

·         John Horne, Toronto, Ont. - Executive Chef, Canoe

·         Marc Lepine, Ottawa, Ont. - Chef and Owner, Atelier

·         Nick Liu, Toronto, Ont. - Chef and Owner, DaiLo and LoPan

·         Brandon Olsen, Toronto, Ont. - Chef and Owner, La Banane and CXBO Chocolates

·         René Rodriguez, Ottawa, Ont. - Chef, COMMON Eatery

·         Danny “Smiles” Francis, Montreal, Que. - Chef de Cuisine, Le Bremner

·         Laura White, Toronto, Ont. - Pastry Chef, Forno Cultura

Throughout the season, a rotating panel of acclaimed culinary guest judges exercise their palates and serve up critiques based on taste, plating and presentation, and originality to determine who takes home bragging rights. Guest judges include television host and food writer, Ricardo Larrivée; Canadian chef and author, Jennifer McLagan; restaurant critics Alexandra Gill (The Globe and Mail) and Lesley Chesterman (Montreal Gazette), as well as Food Network Canada personalities Mijune Pak (Top Chef Canada) and host of the upcoming new series Big Bucket Food List, John Catucci.

In the series premiere, Iron Chef Canada launches with an intense secret ingredient battle between Iron Chef Lynn Crawford and challenger Chef Marc Lepine. The panel of judges declaring a winner for the very first Iron Chef Canada face-off include La Presse columnist Marie-Claude Lortie, writer and owner of Toronto’s Rosen’s Cinnamon Buns, Amy Rosen, and Host of Food Network Canada’s Carnival Eats, Noah Cappe. 

To learn more about the series, catch behind the scenes content and watch episodes online after they premiere, visit www.foodnetwork.ca.

Food Network Canada is available on a National Free Preview for the month of October. Please check local listings for additional details.

Iron Chef Canada is produced by Proper Television in association with Corus Entertainment’s Food Network Canada and based on the original ‘Iron Chef’ Series Produced by Fuji Television Network, Inc.

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About Corus Entertainment Inc.

Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSX: CJR.B) is a leading media and content company that creates and delivers high quality brands and content across platforms for audiences around the world. The company’s portfolio of multimedia offerings encompasses 44 specialty television services, 39 radio stations, 15 conventional television stations, a global content business, digital assets, live events, children’s book publishing, animation software, technology and media services. Corus’ roster of premium brands includes Global Television, W Network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network Canada, HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, HISTORY®, Showcase, National Geographic Channel, Q107, CKNW, Fresh Radio, Disney Channel Canada, YTV and Nickelodeon Canada. Visit Corus at www.corusent.com.

About Proper Television
Since opening its doors in 2004, Proper Television has become one of Canada’s premier production companies, creating more than 600 hours of smart, fresh and compelling factual programming for audiences around the world. Proper’s award-winning slate includes original productions like Last Stop Garage, Vegas Rat Rods, Tougher Than It Looks, Under New Management and Don’t Drive Here, as well as home grown versions of big international formats such as MasterChef Canada, The Great Canadian Baking Show, Canada’s Worst Driver, Storage Wars Canada, Four Weddings Canada and Come Dine with Me Canada. Proper Television is a Boat Rocker Media Company.

Pan American Food Festival

Event:             Pan American Food Festival

What:              Food, dance and vendors

Location:        Daniels Spectrum - 585 Dundas St. E.

Date:               Aug 1-3, 2015 

It's a long weekend in Toronto and as usual there are a whole bunch of things going on in the city.  The Caribbean Carnival, The Food Truck Festival, and all kinds of other things going on.
It was such a beautiful sunny day on the saturday so I decided to check out the Pan American Food Festival at Daniel's Spectrum in Regent Park.

This festival is curated by local writer and self proclaimed "Food Geek" Mary Luz Mejia.  It was great to see her and also fellow Food Revolution Day Ambassador and local chef Mary Catherine Anderson who was helping out with the demos.

This is their 3rd Annual Festival.  I attended it for the first time last year.  It seems like they changed the focus and the set up quite a bit since last year.  Last year most of the food demos were inside the building and there was a stage for music that was the food demo stage this year.  They built a bigger stage at the end of the laneway with room in front for dancers and spectators.  It made a lot more sense this way I think.  There focus this year shifted to a lot more musical acts and dancers and 25 visiting Pan American Chefs doing demos and competitions.  But the only thing that didn't seem expanded was the number of booth vendors.  There seemed to be a lot more food vendors last year but the few food vendors were pretty regular contributors to local food events.

On the saturday I checked out 2 of the chef demos.  The first one was by Ryan Wilson-Lall from FRANK restaurant at the AGO in Toronto.  He made my most favourite dish that I tried at the Festival and tried for the first time.  It was his version of Chili en Nogado.  I have seen it made on television but never had a chance to try it before.  It's a pretty labour intensive dish with many different ingredients and layers of techniques and flavours.  Chef Ryan's version was a Poblano chili stuffed with a great balance of seasonings on pulled chicken and then topped with a white cheese sauce and then garnished with pepitas, cilantro and pomegranate seeds.   I don't know if I would ever spend that kind of time making it but I wish I had picked up the recipe because there were so many layers of flavours that you can't figure it out from just tasting it.  It was fantastic.

The next demo was from Master-Chef Columbia Chef Federico Martinez who is a young up and coming and very popular chef.  He made Posta Negra.  I am not sure why it's named that but possibly because the meat is turned almost black from the Coca-Cola, molasses, red wine and ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce marinade and cooked in a pressure cooker or slow braised.
It is cooked until tender and shredded like pulled pork.  It is served on corn tortillas and topped with a pico de gallo that had coconut milk in it and also topped with an avocado mousse and some grated Mexican cheese.  I could smell this dish before I even tried it and it tasted just as good.  As you can tell from the picture above it was a bit on the runny side so the tortilla didn't hold up that well.  I would say to make sure you use a slotted spoon when you serve it or use a double tortilla shell.

There was also a few various vendors like jewellery, and clothing and musical instruments.

There is a lot of musical acts that unfortunately I am not familiar with so I don't know if anyone of them are well known but there was a Latin Grammy Nominee Caloncho who I hears is very good but I didn't hear him so I don't know much about him.  There are all kinds of dancing from Mexican folk dancers to salsa dancers and all kind of different costumed dancers to entertain the crowd.

It's a great festival to bring the family.  It's not too crowded and it's a great cultural experience and there are photo opps galore.  The selfie takers were kept busy.

If you read this in time I hope you can go and check it out and try some great food and dance up a storm with the beautiful dancers and musical artists.

For more info:  www.panamfoodfest.com
Twitter @PanamFoodFest
Facebook  PanAmerican Food Festival
Instagram @panamfoodfest